The number of weddings rose 5.3 per cent in England and Wales in 2012, compared to 2011’s figures, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals.

According to telegraph.co.uk, more than 262,000 couples got married in 2012, which is the highest figure seen in a decade, showing that marriage is rising in popularity. It’s possible that the royal wedding in early 2011 has boosted the popularity of marriage; plus the recovery of the UK’s economy might have played a part too.

There has also been a rise in the number of unmarried couples choosing to live together, but the ONS says many more people now view cohabitation as a “precursor to marriage”.

Interestingly, the amount of older Brits choosing to tie to knot rose significantly. The number of people aged between 65 and 70 who married their partner in 2012 increased by around 25 per cent compared to 2011, reports dailymail.co.uk. One in ten of those had never been married before either.

Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater & Gordon solicitors, comments that the statistics show a rise in religious weddings in particular.

“It is the biggest rise in religious weddings in the course of three decades, although as this data is based on merely the number of marriages in a single year, it’s too early to say whether it is an exception or the start of something more significant,” he explains.